Stray
by lawless523
Summary: Shuichi brings something unexpected home; Eiri is dubious.
1. Chapter 1

_**Stray**_

_**Overall Rating:**_ M for language and sexual content.

_**Warnings: **_This is a M/M pairing. If that bothers you, what are you doing reading Gravitation fanfiction?

_**Disclaimer: **_It's Maki Murakami's sandbox. I'm just playing in it. I don't own the rights to Gravitation or these characters nor do I make any money from them.

_**Summary: **_Shuichi brings something unexpected home with him. Eiri is dubious.

Thanks to my devoted beta HawkClowd. You rock, girl! Any errors or oddities are my responsibility alone.

Rating for this chapter: T for language

_Chapter 1_

Movement in a shopping bag lying on the path caught Shuichi's attention as he walked home from the convenience store. He put the bag of pocky and cigarettes he'd just bought down and knelt to examine the bag, which was now bouncing around, more closely.

It was a plain brown paper bag stuffed inside a yellow plastic bag. The paper bag had been rolled down and the handles of the yellow plastic bag knotted together to keep the bag closed.

The bag bounced again. Clearly there was something alive inside. An animal, maybe? One that some cruel person had thrown out of a car or dropped on the sidewalk?

He fought the tears that threatened to spring up in his eyes. Damn it, he wouldn't be able to help this creature if he couldn't see what he was doing.

The knot was pulled so tight that it didn't yield to his attempts to undo it. In the meantime, other pedestrians were brushing against him and tripping over his feet, some cursing. He dragged both bags aside to get out of everyone's way.

He wound up sitting, knees drawn up against his chest, against the front of a beauty salon. He tore blindly at the plastic, finally pulling it apart enough to rip the knot open. He carefully unrolled the top of the paper bag, holding it partway closed for fear that whatever was inside would jump out and run away.

A pair of glowing yellow eyes glared at him. It was hard to see in the bag even as he opened it a bit more to get a better look.

A tiny paw shot out of the bag, claws outstretched. He almost dropped the bag, which would have allowed the creature inside to escape and run off who knew where. How could he look inside when the creature – which from the looks of things was almost certainly a kitten – might claw him?

He thought for a minute and then realized that maybe cradling the bag and singing to the kitten would help. So he sat cross-legged, oblivious to the stares of passersby, cradling the bottom of the bag and softly humming a lullaby, hoping that would calm the creature.

It seemed to work after a few verses. Whatever was moving around at the bottom of the bag relaxed. He could even feel faint vibrations. He had never had a pet, let alone a cat, so he wasn't sure if the creature was purring, but he hoped it was.

He opened the top of the bag wider and carefully peered inside. He spotted a bedraggled kitten with orange and gray patches on a dirty white background curled up at the bottom of the bag.

"Awww," he said and picked up both bags. He'd take the kitten home, nurse it back to health, and take it to the nearest shelter.

Then reality kicked in. Wouldn't he need items he didn't have to take care of the kitten, like cat food? Thinking about it some more, he realized he didn't want to let this kitten outside to do its business. Look at the shape it already was in! The people he knew who kept their cats indoors used those plastic boxes – what were they called? Litter boxes? He needed one of those and that sandy litter stuff people put in it.

While the convenience store carried cat food, and he thought he'd seen cat litter there too, he didn't think there was any place within walking distance where he could purchase a litter box. Besides, he'd have a hard time carrying cat food, cat litter, his prior purchases, and a cat. In order to take care of the kitten properly, he needed help from someone with a car and a driver's license. Someone like Eiri.

Shuichi decided to return to the convenience store to purchase cat food. When he got home, he'd stay with the kitten, feeding it and making sure it didn't destroy the furniture or the apartment, while Eiri purchased a litter box and cat litter.

That posed a dilemma, though. How could he convince Eiri to help him out and let the cat stay long enough to get it in good enough shape to take to the shelter? Eiri wasn't a cat hater. He'd fed a stray cat at their previous apartment and Shuichi knew that cats lived in his family's temple compound. But Eiri was unwilling to take responsibility for the lives of others, resented having his routine changed, and was a world-class grump besides.

He puzzled over this dilemma as he retraced his steps to the convenience store while cradling the bag with the cat in it, the plastic bag with the cigarettes and pocky in it hanging from his hand—

Oh shit. Eiri would be jonesing for his cigarettes. Shuichi had i_promised/i_ to hurry back with them because Eiri had run out of cigarettes. A cigarette-deprived Eiri was even more of a grouch than usual.

But the kitten was probably starving. It needed food worse than Eiri needed his stinking cigarettes, although Eiri probably wouldn't see it that way.

In the meantime, the kitten mewed once and then fell asleep while Shuichi was still cradling the bag in his arms.

When he arrived at the convenience store he put the bag with his purchases in a plastic shopping basket. Realizing he couldn't put cat food in the basket while continuing to cradle the cat, he gently put the bag with the cat in it on the floor while grabbing a random selection of cat food off of the shelf.

He didn't notice the funny looks he was getting from other shoppers and the clerk at the front counter. The clerk recognized him from his earlier visit and wondered why he'd returned with his purchases in tow plus another bag that he held gingerly. The other customers wondered what was in the bag he'd been cradling, as it obviously wasn't groceries.

He picked up bag and basket with difficulty and walked to the checkout. The man there looked at him quizzically while ringing up his purchases. "Back again so soon?" he said.

"I found a stray kitten on the way home and I couldn't leave it there to starve." He held out the bag with his prior purchases so the clerk could add the cat food to them. No point in having to carry yet another bag.

"That's nice of you, Shindou-san!" the clerk said, nodding, as Shuichi turned to leave.

He trudged home, the plastic bag dangling in his hand while he cradled the cat with both arms as best he could. Once he got into the elevator he let the bag with his purchases slide to the floor so he could hold the bag with the cat in it more carefully. When the elevator arrived at his floor he quickly retrieved the plastic bag and hurried out before the elevator could close on him.

He hadn't thought of any good way to approach Eiri about the kitten. He'd just have to wing it and try to look as cute and pleading as possible. Tears might not be a bad idea either; Eiri hated it when he cried but he hated watching him cry even more.

As he pushed the door to the apartment open and replaced his shoes with his house slippers, he could hear Eiri yell, "Where the hell are my cigarettes? And what the fuck took you so long?"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Stray**_

_**Overall Rating:**_ M for language and sexual content.

_**Warnings: **_This is a M/M pairing. If that bothers you, what are you doing reading Gravitation fanfiction?

_**Disclaimer: **_It's Maki Murakami's sandbox. I'm just playing in it. I don't own the rights to Gravitation or these characters nor do I make any money from them.

_**Summary: **_Shuichi brings something unexpected home with him. Eiri is dubious.

Thanks to my devoted beta HawkClowd. You rock, girl! Any errors or oddities are my responsibility alone.

Rating for this chapter: T for language

_Chapter 2_

As he pushed the door to the apartment open and replaced his shoes with his house slippers, he could hear Eiri yell, "Where the hell are my cigarettes? And what the fuck took you so long?"

"Don't mind him," he whispered to the furry little creature curled up at the bottom of the bag. "He's more bark than bite, if you know what I mean." In a louder voice he said, "I'll be right there."

He thought he heard a grumbled "You'd better be" as he walked down the hallway to Eiri's study, cat and bag with cigarettes in it in tow.

When Shuichi stuck his head around the corner, Eiri was squinting at the computer screen while deleting and retyping furiously. His hair was disheveled from having run his fingers through it and his glasses had slipped halfway down his nose.

"What happened to you? You get lost or were you mugged on the way home?" Eiri inquired sarcastically, still peering at the screen.

"Here," Shuichi said, and thrust the box of cigarettes toward Eiri. Eiri snatched them out of his hands, retrieved a carton and threw the rest on the other side of the desk. "Huh," he mumbled while struggling to light a cigarette. Once he succeeded, he straightened up and turned to look at Shuichi. "What i_did/i_ happen to you?"

"I found this," he said, holding the bag with the kitten in it out toward Eiri, who peered into it.

"This is not a shelter," Eiri shot back. "You don't know if this thing has fleas or worms or whatever."

"But it was lying there on the sidewalk looking so pitiful—" Shuichi said, clutching the top of the bag.

"Since when is that a reason for bringing a stray home? Next you'll be bringing some smelly homeless person home with you!"

"I'm just going to keep it long enough to get it in good shape and then take it to the shelter!"

"What do you know about taking care of an abandoned kitten? You need to take it to a vet, you moron."

"So? I can afford to take the cat to a vet."

"Yeah, but do you know of any vets? Besides, by the time the cat's in good enough shape to take to the shelter, you'll be too attached to it to give it up."

"But Yuki – the bag was all tied up and I think it was tossed there and left to die—"

Eiri looked at him sharply. "Are you sure about that?"

"I tore the plastic handle trying to untie it. I'm telling you, someone tried to kill this cat."

At the bottom of the bag, the kitten uncurled and stretched, then curled up again despite the humans arguing about it just above its head. The two men peered in to look at it.

Eiri sighed. Shuichi was a soft-hearted fool but he wasn't so hard-hearted as to insist that a kitten that had been tossed out like so much trash fend for itself.

"Put the bag down," he told Shuichi, who lowered the bag gently to the floor.

"I bought some cat food," Shuichi said, picking up the plastic bag with the remainder of his purchases in it.

"We need some cat litter and a litter pan," Eiri said.

"I thought maybe you could get them. I couldn't carry cat litter and the cat and everything else back here with me and they don't carry litter boxes at the convenience store anyway."

"Let me take a closer look at the cat first." Eiri carefully tipped the bag over so the kitten could crawl out if it wanted to. The kitten stayed put, however; it didn't seem interested in leaving its paper bag womb.

Eiri lay down on the floor and peered inside the bag. "Can't see," he grumbled. "Maybe if you put some food down for it?"

"In here?"

"It needs time to get adjusted to a new environment. This is a small room that's easy to close off, so it'd be better than the kitchen or living room. I don't want it in the bedroom."

"Why?" asked Shuichi, who had visions of having a little creature he could cuddle and curl up with when Eiri was still working at the computer when he went to bed.

"When I was little I had a kitten keep me awake half the night walking on my head with its claws out until I finally tossed it out. Damn kitten claws hurt."

"Huh."

After a pause, Eiri looked up at Shuichi. "What are you waiting for, doofus? Go put the food in a bowl. You do know how to use a can opener?"

Actually the cans had pop tops but Shuichi wasn't going to tell Eiri that.

"And bring a bowl of water too," Eiri ordered.

"Okay," Shuichi said, walking toward the kitchen.

While Shuichi was opening cupboard doors wondering which bowls to use and how he was going to manage carrying a water bowl without spilling water all over the floor, Eiri continued to peer inside the bag. He made little noises and tried wiggling his fingers at the cat, thankful that Shuichi wasn't there to see him acting like an absolute sap. The kitten yawned and stretched but didn't seem inclined to move closer to the mouth of the bag. He'd have to wait for Shuichi to return with food to get a better look at it.

Having with difficulty decided which bowl to use for cat food and which bowl to use for water, Shuichi scraped the entire contents of a can of cat food into one bowl and halfway filled the other bowl with water. He figured he should bring the food bowl in first. He knew that to carry both bowls at once would guarantee that the water would spill.

"Here it is," he said as he walked into the study to the sight of Eiri wiggling his fingers inside the bag. He did a mental headshake at the sight but didn't say anything about it.

He put the bowl of food down by the mouth of the bag. Eiri looked up at him. "You idiot, that's enough food for four meals! If the kitten eats all of this it'll throw up. Are you ready to clean it up?"

Shuichi's lower lip started trembling. "How am I supposed to know that? I've never had a kitten or any kind of pet! Why didn't you tell me?"

It hadn't occurred to him that he needed to, but Eiri said nothing and sat up.

"C'mon," he said to the cat. "Food." He snagged the bowl and set it where the kitten could see it. "Yummy food." He made the 'pssst' noise universal to people trying to entice cats to eat.

Shuichi's lower lip stopped trembling and he stared in wide-eyed amazement. The sight and sound of his lover trying to coax the abandoned kitten to eat was just too adorable for words. He'd never seen this side of him before.

The kitten began taking hesitant steps toward the opening. Its ears and the top of its head poked out while it looked around. The kitten's yellow eyes stared into the writer's golden eyes. Eiri looked to the side and slowly sat up at the same time so his face wasn't so close to the kitten and he was no longer looking directly at it.

The kitten took a tentative step outside the bag, sniffing the air in the general direction of the food dish.

"Why—" Shuichi began.

"Shhh," Eiri said. "Don't frighten it."

Shuichi stared at the cat which seemed blind to the food just in front of it. It continued to sniff the air, whiskers outstretched. Finally it dipped its head toward the bowl and began to take delicate, tentative bites that became less delicate and tentative with each successive mouthful.

Once the cat started eating, Eiri pushed himself off the floor and wiped his hands. "Where's the water?" he asked brusquely.

"In the kitchen. I'll go get it."

"Don't bother, dumbass. I'll get it," Eiri said, and stalked off.

Eiri returned and put the water dish down with a 'thunk'. He squatted on the floor, staring at the cat. "Doesn't look like it has fleas but I'll get flea powder just in case," he said. "I'll have to look at it more closely when I get back to see what sex it is, but it's probably female."

"What makes you say that?" Shuichi asked.

"White cats with patches of color like that are usually female."

"How old is it?"

"Best guess, it's around two months old," Eiri said as he stood up again. "Which is good because it means we don't have to feed it with a dropper. I'll get cat litter, a litter box, flea powder and some more food. Watch the kitten while I'm gone and look for that box Mika put that coat in – you know the one I mean – and put some potting soil in it. You can use that as a makeshift litter box if it needs to go before I return."

Shuichi threw his arms around him and whispered "Thank you." Eiri broke away, shaking his head. Picking up his keys and wallet, he put on his shoes and walked out the door.

It was Shuichi's turn to squat down and give the cat the once over. Its tail was thin and its fur muddy and matted. But it ate enthusiastically, falling over once because it leaned too far forward. After eating half of the food in the bowl, the kitten turned its attention to the water bowl, lapping up most of it in a few seconds.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Stray**_

_**Overall Rating:**_ M for language and sexual content.

_**Warnings: **_This is a M/M pairing. If that bothers you, what are you doing reading Gravitation fanfiction?

_**Disclaimer: **_It's Maki Murakami's sandbox. I'm just playing in it. I don't own the rights to Gravitation or these characters nor do I make any money from them.

_**Summary: **_Shuichi brings something unexpected home with him. Eiri is dubious.

Thanks to my devoted beta HawkClowd. You rock, girl! Any errors or oddities are my responsibility alone.

Rating for this chapter: T for language

_Chapter 3_

When Eiri returned with the cat supplies in tow, he found Shuichi curled up asleep on the floor of the study with the kitten curled up on top of him. Freshly moistened dirt adorned a corner of the makeshift litter box. Eiri replaced the coat box with the litter box he'd just bought and put fresh cat litter in it. The kitten looked up, curious, and padded over to try out the fresh litter.

Eiri picked the cat up by the scruff of its neck when it left the litter box and examined it. He concluded that it was female, even though it was notoriously difficult to determine a kitten's gender.

It also needed a bath. Fortunately he had thought of this while at the store and had bought cat shampoo. He was going to wait until Shuichi could help with that. He was not about to be scratched and bitten bathing the cat by himself just because Shuichi had discovered a kitten that had been left on the sidewalk to die. Besides, his idiot boyfriend needed to learn what taking care of a cat involved. He had no faith in his promise that the cat would go to a shelter once it was in good condition.

He noticed that the kitten's eyes were green. Hadn't they been yellow before? Maybe he just wasn't remembering properly. Or perhaps Shuichi's idiocy really was infectious.

He set the kitten on the floor. It climbed Mt. Shuichi again, its razor-sharp claws digging into the pliant flesh. Shuichi winced, stretched, and woke up.

"Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty," Eiri greeted him.

Shuichi yawned and looked at him bleary-eyed.

"Let's grab some dinner and give the cat a bath afterward."

Shuichi's response was "Umph." Since Eiri didn't feel like making dinner and Shuichi was still barred from cooking because he had started a fire in the kitchen months before while making instant ramen, [1] calling for takeout seemed like the best course of action.

After confirming that Shuichi wanted the usual, Eiri called the takeout place and sat down on the couch with a rival author's book to await the arrival of dinner. He mostly read other romance novelists' books to make fun of them, but it was important for him to keep up with what they wrote if for no other reason than to make sure it didn't look like he was copying them. Nothing put an author in lower spirits than his editor telling him that the wonderful idea he had for a storyline wouldn't work because author X had just used it.

Shuichi played with the kitten in the study until dinner arrived. Eiri had given him some old shoelaces for the kitten to chase.

While they were cleaning up after dinner, Eiri said, "You should get a long-sleeved shirt to wear while we're giving the cat a bath."

"I don't have a long-sleeved shirt. Just long-sleeved T-shirts."

"Wear one of those. This could get wet and messy." [2]

Shuichi fetched bath towels and washcloths from the linen closet while Eiri ran warm water into the dishpan he retrieved from the cupboard. Soap bubbles formed on the surface from the shampoo he squeezed into the dishpan. He also put on a pair of protective gloves Mika had insisted on buying for him, ostensibly to protect his hands when he washed dishes but more to protect hers and her manicure if she washed the dishes when she visited them.

Eiri took one of the towels Shuichi brought to the study, telling Shuichi to put the others next to the sink. Eiri returned to the kitchen with a howling cat wrapped up in the towel, struggling but under control.

"Help me unwrap her and get her into the water," Eiri said. "Be careful. She's going to try to get out. I'll wash and you hold her."

Eiri slid the kitten into the suds. Shuichi did his best to catch her but she still got some suds in her eyes and let out another howl.

"Get a glass or something and run lukewarm water in it, then dribble it gently into her eyes," Eiri told him. In the meantime Eiri held her by her shoulders while she struggled.

Shuichi hastened to do as he was asked. The kitten blinked and mewed piteously.

Once he was done, Eiri said, "I've changed my mind. You take the washcloth and I'll hold her."

"Uh, Yuki, what do I do?"

"Just wipe her down gently. I'll try to hold her so you can get at her stomach and legs but try to stay away from the pointy parts."

"The what?"

"Her claws and her teeth. Cats can do a lot of damage with just their teeth. I have the scars to prove it."

Shuichi picked up the washcloth, dunked it in the soapy water, and began wiping the cat's face (keeping well away from her mouth), neck, and shoulders. As Shuichi finished what could be seen above the suds, Eiri lifted the cat partway out so Shuichi could wipe down her back. Then he lifted her all the way out of the sink. As Shuichi dabbed at her stomach at best he could, she twisted her spine this way and that and wiggled her legs trying to get out of Eiri's grip somehow. He clutched the scruff of her neck with one hand while the other supported her weight.

"I think that's the best I'm going to do," Shuichi said, looking at the cat and the suds that were now streaked with dirt. The cat looked like a drowned rat and appeared positively miserable. He couldn't decide if it was cute or funny or just pitiable but instinctively knew he couldn't laugh at her because it would offend her kitty dignity.

Eiri, seemingly unmoved by the cat's plight, told Shuichi to hand the towel back to him and rinse and fill the dishpan with lukewarm water while he restrained the cat. Shuichi hurried to do what Eiri asked him to do.

Eiri tested the water until he was satisfied it was the right temperature. When the dishpan was two-thirds full Eiri told Shuichi to turn the water off and lowered the cat back in the water. She didn't struggle as much this time.

Eiri handed Shuichi the other washcloth and indicated by hand gestures that he should dunk it in the water and rub her down like he had with the soapy washcloth. Soon the rinse water was also streaked with dirt.

Eiri ran a comb he had also purchased through the sections of the cat's wet fur that Shuichi had already rinsed while holding the cat in place with his other hand. Shuichi wrung out the cloth when he was finished and left it on the counter, awaiting further instructions.

"I'm going to lift the cat out of the sink when I'm finished combing her. Be ready to dump the water out slowly so it doesn't go all over the place, then spray her so we can get the rest of the soap out of her coat. Got it?" Eiri said.

"Yes," Shuichi responded.

Eiri combed a few more spots and then lifted the cat out of the water. Shuichi began pouring water down the drain. Even though he tried his best to do it slowly it still splashed both of them and the cat. Eiri said "Shit" but without the usual heat behind it.

Eiri gently placed the kitten in the sink once it was empty of water. Shuichi grabbed the sprayer and cranked the faucet hard enough that the water pressure was too high. "Fuck," Eiri said, "turn it down. And check the damn temperature to make sure it won't scald or freeze her."

Shuichi made the adjustments while frowning with concentration. Then he aimed the sprayer at the cat's back, chest, and paws.

Eiri took the sprayer to rinse her face, gesturing to Shuichi to hold her. He turned the water pressure down even more and sprayed the side of her head in order to avoid her eyes, which glowed yellow again. What was up with that, he wondered.

"Now hold out a clean towel," Eiri commanded. Shuichi did as he was told. Eiri placed the cat in the middle of the towel, wrapping it around her. Shuichi wound up holding the cat whose head peeked out above the towel.

"Keep her wrapped up and pat her down all over," Eiri said. "I need a beer and a cigarette."

Shuichi really wanted his pocky and a soda, but he didn't say anything because Eiri had done most of the work so far even though he was the one who'd brought the cat home. He was grateful that Eiri was this willing to help. He'd expected him to put up more of a fuss about letting the cat stay there at all.

The kitten burrowed into the towel and began purring. "Yuki, what should we name her?"

"I thought you weren't keeping her. Why give her a name?"

"We can't keep calling her 'it' or 'cat'.

"Why not? Call her 'cat'."

Shuichi looked at him dubiously and continued patting the cat, who was trying to crawl onto his shoulder. The towel was making his shirt damp, but he was so focused on patting the cat dry he hardly noticed.

Eiri held out his arms so he could gauge whether another towel was needed. Shuichi took the hint and deposited the towel-wrapped kitten in Eiri's arms.

The kitten licked Eiri's face with its small pink tongue, eliciting a "tcha!" from the author, who held the cat out at arm's length. Shuichi snickered.

"You get licked by a cat and see how funny it is," Eiri fumed. To prove his point, he held the kitten next to Shuichi's cheek, which she promptly licked.

"Ahhhh!" Shuichi yelled. "That's rough! But it tickles at the same time."

Eiri smirked, his point made. The towel was wet enough that he figured another towel was needed. He asked Shuichi to pick up the last towel from the counter while he unwrapped the cat.

He let the wet towel fall to the floor and placed the cat inside the fresh towel. With Shuichi's help, he wrapped the kitten up again. This time he gave her to Shuichi to hold while he walked to the bathroom, unbuttoning his shirt so he could put it in the hamper. He went to the bedroom and put on a fresh T-shirt.

When he came back, Shuichi was blotting the kitten dry with the towel. "She's pretty dry and the towel's barely damp. Can I let her go?" Shuichi asked.

"Let me check." Eiri partially unwrapped her and took a look. She looked less like a drowned rat now and more like a kitten. "Yeah, sure, let her go. Let's see what she makes of the apartment."

Shuichi carefully put her down on the floor. She swatted at his legs and leapt about. Eiri made sure the door to the balcony was closed; he didn't want her falling off and injuring or killing herself now that she'd been rescued.

Shuichi watched her antics for the rest of the evening and Eiri watched Shuichi, amused.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Stray**_

_**Overall Rating:**_ M for language and sexual content.

_**Warnings: **_This is a M/M pairing. If that bothers you, what are you doing reading Gravitation fanfiction?

_**Disclaimer: **_It's Maki Murakami's sandbox. I'm just playing in it. I don't own the rights to Gravitation or these characters nor do I make any money from them.

_**Summary: **_Shuichi brings something unexpected home with him. Eiri is dubious.

Thanks to my devoted beta HawkClowd. You rock, girl! Any errors or oddities are my responsibility alone.

Rating for this chapter: M for sexual content.

_Chapter 4_

_  
__**Warning:**_This chapter has been edited in order to meet FFN's content guidelines. If you want to read the unexpurgated version visit LiveJournal's 30_kisses community or once the "latest" board clears enough for me to post this.

As they were getting ready for bed, Shuichi turned to Eiri and said, "We need to take her to a vet to have her checked out and get her shots."

"Mmph," Eiri said. Shuichi's timing was impeccable. Eiri spit out his toothpaste and replied more intelligibly, "It's a good idea to have a vet check her over for any medical problems, but if you're going to take her to a shelter, won't they take care of her shots?"

Shuichi remained silent. Eiri could tell he was already regretting his promise to give her up. Well, he liked cats. If this one would leave him alone while he was typing… Damn. He wasn't going to be able to pry the cat away from Shuichi and he didn't have the heart to try.

Eiri pretended he hadn't asked anything and said, "I'll call tomorrow to find a vet." He had no idea who he'd call. Mizuki, maybe? He seemed to remember her mentioning something about having a cat. Mika and Tohma lived too far away and besides they had no pets.

Shuichi gave him a quick caress. "Thank you, Yuki!"

"Yeah, go get ready, brat."

When Eiri was finished in the bathroom, he found Shuichi lying in the middle of the bed, chest bare. Since Eiri liked to remove Shuichi's clothes himself, Shuichi didn't usually undress completely, but tonight all he had on were the boxers he normally wore to bed.

Shuichi's desire was evident from the bulge in his boxers. Eiri knelt between his legs and placed his hand on the bulge. "Are you packing heat or are you just happy to see me?" he asked. They'd picked up the lingo from Shuichi's gun-toting trigger-happy manager K.

Shuichi's eyes shone. "What if I'm packing heat _and_ happy to see you? I am feeling a little…_hot_ down there."

Feeling that the response 'Let's see if I can cool it down' went without saying, Eiri opened the fly on the boxers.

"Mmmm," Shuichi said. "Stop teasing me."

Eiri moved away. "That better?" he asked.

"No! You know what I mean. Keep going!" Shuichi ordered.

Eiri smirked and resumed what he'd been doing.

Suddenly Shuichi flinched. Eiri backed up and said, "What the fuck was that for?"

Shuichi pointed behind Eiri and to his right. Eiri glanced over and saw that the kitten had jumped up on the bed and was gazing at them – at Shuichi, actually – balefully.

"So?" said Eiri. "It's a cat."

"So I don't want the cat watching us have sex."

Eiri sighed. It looked like he'd have to toss the cat out of the bedroom if he wanted this to progress any further.

He slid off the bed and deposited the cat outside the door, closing it with a thud.

"Why doesn't it bother you?"

"After the temple cats watched me masturbate, why would it bother me to have a cat watch me have sex?"

Eiri resumed his previous position and activity until he judged that Shuichi was close to climaxing, at which point he let go. Shuichi sucked in his breath and moaned at the sudden loss of sensation and pressure.

Eiri began preparing him for the next step. Then the fingers were removed and Eiri stared down at him. "Tell me," he coaxed.

"Tell you what?" Shuichi said through gritted teeth.

"Meow," the kitten said from the other side of the door.

"You know."

"No, I'm not going to."

The kitten meowed again more piercingly.

"Fine. See if I care."

The kitten started meowing more frequently and plaintively. Eiri bowed his head in defeat. He knew that the cat would keep this up until it got its way.

"Excuse me," he said and opened the door.

"Yuki!" Shuichi yelled. "I can't continue with the cat staring at me!"

"So turn over," Eiri said, suiting actions to words and flipping Shuichi over. "That way you don't have to look at the cat."

"Umph," Shuichi replied, but he was excited enough and miserable enough at the absence of Eiri's touch that he didn't make any further objection to the presence of a feline voyeur.

The cat settled down on the corner of the bed and began taking a bath. Relieved that she didn't seem to be paying attention to them, Eiri continued.

Gods, he was so tight. So desirable. So--

He stopped thinking and began thrusting.

Just as he was almost ready to come, the kitten's cold wet nose made contact with his derrière, causing a chain reaction. Eiri thrust deeper and nearly fell on top of Shuichi at the same time. Eiri tried to pull out and roll to the side so his unanticipated shift in weight wouldn't crush his lover. Both men came, first Eiri and then Shuichi. As a result of the unexpected change in position the outcome of their activity went flying and landed in unexpected places.

Eiri turned around to glare at the cause of the mayhem. She was sitting quietly at the foot of the bed staring at him with yellow eyes. He remembered that cats considered an unblinking gaze hostile and looked away. "Fucking cat," he muttered.

They locked the cat out of the room while the two of them used damp washcloths to clean each other, the carpet, and the headboard and changed the mattress pad and sheets. Eiri muttered something about maybe using condoms next time even though he hated them. Shuichi muttered back something about not letting the damn cat watch them make love to begin with. Eiri refrained from making his usual comment about how 'making love' was an inaccurate and insipid description of what they did with and to each other.

When they were finished cleaning up, they opened the door and the culprit strolled back in as if she owned the place, her eyes glowing green in the dim light. She nestled in the crook of Shuichi's left arm while Eiri lay on his side facing Shuichi, his right arm draped over his lover's waist and his right hand resting on his lover's hip. The three of them fell asleep and stayed that way until Eiri moved his arm and rolled over in his sleep. In the morning Shuichi discovered his arm had gone numb because the kitten had spent the entire night curled up on it.

[1] See my story 'Firestruck' for the details.

[2] Sounds just like sex! But sex is usually more rewarding, or at least more fun, than bathing a kitten.

This story started with the image of Shuichi objecting to a feline voyeur. But to have a feline voyeur one of them needed to take in a stray and I thought it made more sense for it to be Shuichi who did that.

While I was writing this story one of my LiveJournal friends posted a poll about whether to permit furry voyeurs to stay or kick them out. One of her friends responded with an anecdote about a cold wet nose touching a spot it shouldn't have in the middle of the action. In that case, however, the culprit was a corgi and not a cat.


End file.
